Feelings Uncovered
by Jiggly Wess
Summary: Sara and Nick have a daughter that Nick doesnt know about...how will Sara cope raising a child on her own? EDITED - Re-doing all of the chapters slowly.
1. Birthday!

**Title:** Feelings Uncovered

**Disclaimer:** I own Ami, George and Ariel.

**Summary:** Sara and Nick have a daughter that Nick doesn't know about...how will Sara cope raising a child on her own?

**Chapter one – The Perfect Christmas Gift**

* * *

"Where do you want me to put this?" Ami asked as she walked in carrying a box of Sara's things through the front door of the apartment.

"In the second bedroom." Sara replied. "I'll sort it out later." After leaving Las Vegas six months earlier Sara had finally found her own apartment and had only just finished moving the rest of her things in.

"OK." Ami left the room and returned a few moments later without the box.

"This place looks amazing. I don't think I've ever seen so many decorations." Ami had been Sara's best friend since they were in Pre-School together. She had been helping Sara out a lot since she moved to San Francisco. She had even pulled some strings at the police station she worked at and helped Sara get a new job.

"It's amazing what you can do when you're home all day every day. You should see what I've done to the baby's room." Sara laughed. "I can't take credit for everything though. I had Jerry my neighbour help me out hanging the tinsel and things on the roof."

"Well it still looks great even if you didn't do it by yourself."

"Thanks." Sara replied. "So did you want a cuppa or something?"

"Yeah that'd be great." Ami replied.

"Ok. Just give me a second to get up." Sara struggled to get halfway up before she fell back down again. "Dam I hate being FAT!" She cried.

"Here I'll help you." Ami grabbed Sara's hands and pulled her up. "You're not fat you're pregnant. There is a difference." She smiled.

"Thanks. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Let's not find out." Ami replied as she helped Sara into the kitchen.

"You know I'm glad you're here for me. I couldn't go through this without you." Sara told Ami as she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"I'm glad I'm here too. I mean it is my god daughter/son you're carrying. And you know that everyone else at the station is going to be there for you too. Even though you are on Maternity leave."

"Yeah I have been for almost a month now and it is really starting to piss me off." She rubbed her sore back. "Plus the pain is horrible."

"Hey. You'll get used to it after a while. It took me forever to get used to it when I had Dakota But trust me the pain is definitely worth it." Ami replied.

"Yeah. How is Dakota by the way?" Sara asked.

"She's doing great. She started walking yesterday. She took her first steps when we were at the supermarket. I guess she just wanted the chocolate so bad she was willing to make an effort for it." Ami explained.

"Yeah. She's gorgeous. I hope my baby is just as gorgeous and well behaved as her."

"Oh trust me Dakota can be a pain most of the time. She just puts on an act when everyone else is around. So, when are you due?"

"Two weeks. But the doctor said it would vary. The baby could come early or it could come late." Sara explained. "Dr Kelly told me that I'm very healthy. Apparently I am a very fit mother. I'm just worried about how I'm going to cope all on my own. I've never been alone with a baby before. I wouldn't know the first thing to do." Sara sighed.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. You watch. Mother's instinct will kick in as soon as you hold that little baby in your arms for the first time." Ami smiled. "Besides you're not alone. You've got me and George, and Jerry next door of course."

"I suppose. But I can't exactly rely on you for everything. Especially not after the past few months."

"Don't worry about it Sara. You're my best mate, what else was I supposed to do? Let you live on the streets for six months?"

"I know. But I just feel bad for imposing in yours and George's lives."

"You weren't imposing. George loved having you around. And for that matter so did Dakota." Ami laughed.

"I just wish…" Sara trailed off and sighed.

"You just wish what?"

"Oh…nothing." Sara sighed again.

"Come on Sara, I've known you for long enough to tell that when you sigh like that it definitely does not mean nothing. Now what's up?" Ami sat beside Sara and put a hand on her hand.

"It's just…well I wish that I still had Nick."

"You know the only solution to that don't you?"

"What?"

"Call him and tell him."

"I can't Ami. We've been through this before remember. He's already moved on. Last I heard he was getting married to some Russian woman." Sara took a deep breath and tried not to cry.

"Things could have changed. It has been a while you know."

"Yeah but I highly doubt he would have changed his mind and dumped her. He just seemed so happy with her." Sara closed her eyes and gulped back tears.

"Aww Sara." Ami wrapped her arms around and hugged Sara. "It's alright. You've got us now. Let's just forget about Nick for now hey."

"Mmm." Sara took another deep breath and sighed.

"So, how about that cuppa hey?"

"Yeah." Sara went to stand up and felt a sudden pain in her belly. "Ugh." She grabbed hold of her stomach and put a hand on the table for support.

"What is it?" Ami asked, concerned.

"Nothing. Just a cramp." Sara brushed it off after the pain had stopped.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm fine. You'd better get back to work. Wouldn't want George to get angry." Sara laughed. "You know what he does when he's angry."

"Very funny. I'll leave you to it. If you need anything just call and I'll be straight over."

"Thanks." Ami kissed her on the cheek and left.

* * *

Later that night Sara sat alone and wondered if this is the way her life was meant to turn out. She didn't have anyone but Ami to help her with the baby she was going to have any day now, she had no idea what Nick was doing with his life. The last thing she knew he was getting married to some other woman. She just felt really alone.

She sighed and turned on the TV. She flicked through the channels a bit but there was nothing on, so she decided to turn the stereo on. The first CD she came to was a CD her mother had given to her three weeks earlier. She put it on and flicked through to her favourite track, then made herself comfortable on the couch.

"_Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

_Let your heart be light_

_From now on your troubles will be out of sight, yeah_

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

_Make the Yuletide gay_

_From now on your troubles will be miles away, oh"_

She had fallen asleep before the third verse and was snoring away happily as the song played on.

"_Here we are as in olden days_

_Happy golden days of yore, ah_

_Faithful friends who are dear to us_

_They gather near to us once more, ooh_

_Through the years we all will be together and_

_If the fates allow_

_Hang a shining star upon the highest bow, oh yeah, oh_

_And have yourself a merry little Christmas now, oh, oh_

_Faithful friends who are dear to us_

_They gather near to us once more, oh, oh_

_Through the years we all will be together and_

_If the fates allow, oh yeah_

_But 'til then we'll have to muddle through somehow,_

_Oh yeah, oh, oh_

_And have yourself a merry little Christmas now"_

She woke up half an hour later with stomach cramps.

"Eeew. What is that?" She felt the couch, which was now damp.

"Oh No!" She tried getting up but she couldn't. So she reached for the phone. "Aaaahhhhhhh!" She screamed as she pulled her hand back and grabbed her stomach.  
"I've been told how painful this is…but I never imagined it to be this bad!" Once the contraction was finished she tried again to reach for the phone. She tried as hard as she could but the excess weight on her stomach was making it hard for her to move. She reached once again and succeeded in making herself roll off the couch onto the floor.

"Ouch!' She cried and she rubbed her stomach as she rolled over onto her back. "Ok remember what the doctor said. DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!" She started her breathing exercises as her next contraction came along.

"Hey Sara?" Jerry asked knocking on the door. "Are you Ok? I heard screaming."

"Jerry you got to help me. I think I'm in labour!" She cried hoping he could hear her through the closed door.

"Ok just stay calm. I'll go get the spare key from Owen."

"Hurry!' Sara cried and then she started her breathing again.

5 minutes later Jerry and Owen (the landlord) rushed up the stairs to Sara's apartment and Jerry fumbled with the keys and unlocked her door.

Jerry rushed to her side and grabbed her hand.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"Call an ambulance!' Sara cried. "Please."

"Ok. Calm down. Owen Call an ambulance." Owen grabbed his mobile and dialled the emergency number.

A while later the ambulance still hadn't arrived and Sara's contractions were getting closer, she was lying on the living room floor in pain sweating really badly.

"It hurts Jerry!' She screamed.

"I know Sara. It's ok. I've called Ami and she's on her way." Jerry explained. "I didn't think you'd want her to miss this."

"Thankyou."

"And Dr Kelly is on his way to the hospital now so he should be there waiting when you get there." Owen explained.

"Thanks guys." Sara said with a smile, which then turned to a grimace as she had yet another contraction.

"How far apart are they now?" Jerry asked.

"About two minutes why?" Owen asked.

"Do you mind if I check to see how much you've dilated?" Jerry asked nervously.

"Do whatever you can I just want this thing out of me!' Sara cried.

"Only one cm to go." Jerry cried. "That ambulance better get here soon."

"And what if it doesn't get here in time?" Owen asked already knowing what the answer would be.

"We're going to have to deliver the baby ourselves."

"That's what I was afraid you'd say." Owen gulped.

"Hey it's ok. You won't have to do much. Go and find some towels or something." Jerry told him.

"Ok." Owen replied and he set off on his mission.

"How are you doing?" Jerry asked looking at a very pale-faced Sara.

"Not so good." Sara replied. "It hurts way too much."

"It's ok. Just think at the end of all the pain you'll have a little baby to hold in your arms." Jerry smiled.

"That's very…" She stopped talking as she had another contraction.

"Ok contractions are getting closer." Jerry smiled. "We're almost there."

"That's reassuring." She forced a laugh. "How close is 'almost there'?"

"I don't know. It depends. If you're dilated enough then you'll have to push. If not then we'll have to wait a bit longer."

"Oh great." Sara sighed.

"OK. It looks like we're ready. When the next contraction comes along I need you to push." Jerry told her.

"Since when did you know so much about delivering babies?"

"Sara I used to work in a children's hospital."

"Oh." Sara replied.

"Ok get ready to push." Jerry said. Sara was just about to start pushing when Ami burst through the door.

"I came as soon as I could. What did I…? Oh." Ami cried when she saw Sara on the ground doing her breathing exercises and Jerry helping her to give birth.

"Sara are you OK?"

"Does it look like I'm ok to you?' She cried.

"Ok Sara push 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. And breathe."

"Whew. This is harder than I thought." Ami laughed at Sara's comment.

"And again." Jerry cried. "Push 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and breathe."

"I found some towels!" Owen cried as he walked back into the room.

"Hey Owen." Ami smiled at him.

"Ami." He nodded his head.

"Thanks." Jerry grabbed a towel off Owen and placed it onto the floor between Sara's legs.

"Ok and again. Push 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and breathe. I've got a head." He cried.

A smiled came across Sara's face.

"Ok another push and we should have it." Jerry told her. "Take a deep breath in and Push"

"Congratulations. You have a beautiful baby girl." Jerry said and he wrapped her in a towel. He cleared the blood away from her mouth so she could breathe.

"She's gorgeous." Ami commented.

"Why isn't she crying?" Sara asked starting to panic. 'Is she breathing?"

"She's fine Sara. She's perfectly fine." Jerry was backed up when the baby started screaming.

"See she's fine." Ami commented. "She definitely has strong lungs." Sara laughed.

"Come here baby girl." Jerry handed her the baby that was wrapped in a towel, tears were streaming down her face.

"You were right the pain was definitely worth it." She kissed the baby on the head.

Sara started crying. "She's beautiful."

"You did it Sara. You did it." Ami whispered and kissed Sara's Cheek. Then she grabbed the baby's hand. "She's the perfect Christmas gift." Ami smiled.

"She's my beautiful baby girl."

"The ambulance is here." Owen commented.

"Bit late." Ami scoffed. Sara didn't say anything. She just sat staring at her baby girl.

The paramedics rushed in with a stretcher and picked Sara up. They put her onto the stretcher and wheeled her out to the ambulance.

"I want you to come." Sara whispered to Ami.

"I know." Ami replied. "But I'm not allowed to. I'll see you when I get to the hospital though ok."

"Bye." Sara cried and Ami watched as the Ambulance doors closed and Sara was driven away.

"She's beautiful." Ami commented as she looked at the baby Sara was holding.

"I know." Sara replied with a huge grin.

"Have you decided what to call her yet?"

"Ariel. Ariel Joanna Sidle."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful baby." Ami smiled.

"Have you heard from my parents yet?"

"Yeah. Their flight was delayed. They should be here by tomorrow afternoon." Ami explained.

"Thanks. For everything."

"No probs. I've got to go Call in at the station. They'll want to know the good news." Ami said.

"Yeah go ahead." Sara smiled. "Just don't let them all come in at once. I don't think the hospital staff would like that very much."

"Don't worry. I'll let them know."

"Ok well I'll see you in a few hours."

"Ok. Bye." Sara watched as Ami walked out of her room. She sighed and kissed Ariel's head.

"It's you and me from now on baby girl. I'm going to make sure nothing ever happens to you. I promise." She held her close and breathed in the smell of her new baby.

* * *

**It's not changed heaps but I have edited a fair bit. Hope you all like it : ]  
Jess**


	2. Surprise

**Title:** Feelings Uncovered

**Disclaimer:** I own Ami, George and Ariel.

**Summary:** Sara and Nick have a daughter that Nick doesn't know about...how will Sara cope raising a child on her own?

**Chapter 2 – Surprise**

* * *

Sara yawned and sat up in the hospital bed. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and looked around. The walls were all white and they reflected the lights from the ceiling making the room look brighter. There were two small windows, one at either side of the room, each one sealed off with bars.

"Makes this place look like a prison." Sara laughed to herself. She slowly stood and wandered around the room.

There wasn't much of view out the windows, just cement ground and a few cars parked around. She turned and walked back to her bed, then decided she needed to use the bathroom.

When Sara emerged from the bathroom she noticed she had a new roommate.

"Hi." She smiled at Sara. "I'm Nadine Turner."

"Sara Sidle."

"So is this your first baby?"

"Yeah."

"You're lucky. I've got seven of them." She smiled. "Don't get me wrong I love them all to bits, though it's a bit hard coping on my own sometimes."

"You're a single mother?"

"Oh yeah. It's hard, but you get used to it after a while."

"Don't you have a man around to help out?"

"Nah, not anymore. But it doesn't matter, me and my kids cope just fine without a man around."

"So how many kids did you say you've got?"

"Well…it started with just one, little girl called Macy. I was happy with that, course then when I got pregnant with the next two the bloke cleared off leaving me by myself to raise three kids. When the twins were only 6 months old I met a new guy, he seemed nice, like we wanted to help me with the kids, then I got pregnant again and he cleared off too." She sighed. "Still it didn't matter. That left me with the four of them, Macy, Jane, Annette and Jackson. Then after that I decided to give up on guys and try and do it by myself, course that didn't work because I met this guy called Jim. We got engaged and all, then he pissed off with some blonde bimbo the night before our wedding, leaving me pregnant with Kelly and Sam. You'd think I would have learnt by then not to trust men, but I'm a sucker for a good looking bloke. I just can't resist those eyes." She sighed. "Then few months back I met someone else, he seemed nice, then I found out all he wanted was sex and as soon as he got it he pissed off. So now I'm all by me self and I've got seven kids. Still having a bit of trouble trying to think of a name for this little one though."

Sara smiled.

"Mind if I take a peek?"

"Sure no problems Darl." Sara waddled over towards Nadine's bed.

"She sure has got bright red hair." Sara commented.

"Yeah, just like her daddy."

"It's almost a perfect shade of Ruby, don't you think?"

"Yeah, now that I think about it." Nadine replied. "Hey that's a perfect name. Ruby."

"It suits her." Sara smiled.

"So where's your little one?" Nadine asked.

"I think she's in the nursery."

"So you haven't seen her yet?"

"I was thinking of heading over there now."

"You should. Man the first time you hold them is perfect."

"I'll head over there now. It was nice talking to you. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

"Sure thing babe." Nadine smiled and Sara walked out of the room.

* * *

She wandered down to the nursery where they were keeping the babies. She looked through the glass and saw two nurses attending to the babies. One of the nurses looked up and when she saw Sara she opened the door and let her in.

"Morning Miss Sidle. We were about to bring little Ariel in for a feed. Would you like me to show you how it's done?"

"Umm…sure." Sara smiled and watched as the nurse lifted Ariel out of her crib and handed her to Sara.

"Just take a seat in the chair just here and I'll get a bottle for you. Unless you want to try breast feeding?"

"Is that alright? Because the doctor said she might have a little trouble."

"No it's no trouble at all. All mothers have got to learn sometime." The nurse smiled and handed Ariel over to Sara.

"Now, just let her take it when she's ready and you'll be fine."

Sara sat still as baby Ariel fed.

"See there we go, she loves it." The nurse smiled. When Ariel was done feeding, the nurse showed Sara how to burp her.

"There ya go. She's quite a loud little one isn't she?" The nurse laughed when Ariel burped.

"Yeah. She gets it from her father." Sara smiled and a tear trickled down her cheek. It was hard not to see Nick in Ariel. She just looked so much like him. She had his hair, his eyes and his nose. The only thing Sara could see in Ariel that was hers was her ears and her slender mouth.

"Ok darling, would you like to take Ariel back to your room?"

"Ah…sure." Sara stood and headed back towards her room. The nurse followed after her, wheeling the crib.

When she got back into her room, the curtain was pulled closed, which she thought was weird. She placed Ariel back into her crib and stepped closer. She could see four silhouettes behind the curtain and wondered who was standing there.

"I swear it was open when I left." Sara said to the nurse.

"No matter. We can easily open it again." The nurse smiled and pulled back the curtains. When she did Sara got an almighty shock when she saw four very familiar faces right in front of her.

'SURPRISE!' they all smiled.

She took a few steps back and blinked twice. Standing in front of her was Ami, with three of her friends from Las Vegas…

* * *

**Well those who have read before will probably know who the three people are. But for those who don't…hmm I wonder who it could be?**


	3. Old Friends

**Title:** Feelings Uncovered

**Disclaimer:** I own Ami, George and Ariel.

**Summary:** Sara and Nick have a daughter that Nick doesn't know about...how will Sara cope raising a child on her own?

**Chapter 3 – Old Friends**

* * *

"Catherine? Warrick? Greg?" Sara couldn't believe her eyes. "What are you guys doing here?" She had tears in her eyes as she hugged each one of them.

"Well we came to see you." Catherine replied.

"Well we're actually in town for a conference and when your friend Ami here found out she practically dragged us here straight away." Greg laughed.

"Ami…you didn't?"

"Sorry. I just thought maybe you might want to see some of your old friends. And they definitely wanted to see you."

"We had no idea you were here." Warrick explained. "When Ami told us we kind of jumped at the chance to come see you. And your new bundle of joy here." Warrick peeked into the crib where Ariel was lying peacefully.

"You guys…" She beamed at them. "Ami…"

"Let's get a look at her then." Greg walked over to where Ariel was lying in her crib.

"She's so tiny." Greg noticed. "And she looks really familiar. I swear I've seen those eyes before."

"So when did you guys get here?" Sara asked, changing the subject as she propped herself up onto her bed.

"This morning." Cath replied. "So you mind if I hold her?"

"No go ahead. Just be careful."

"What's her name?"

"Ariel Joanna Sidle."

"That's such a beautiful name." Cath smiled.

"She's holding your finger." Sara noticed. "I think she likes you."

"So she should. I am her favourite aunty after all." Cath grinned.

Sara was just so glad to see her old friends again, the friends she had abandoned when things got bad for her, the friends who had been there for her for most of her years as a CSI, the friends who she had missed so much when she left.

"I'm so glad you guys are here. I've missed you all so much." Sara let a tear fall from her eye.

"We missed you too." Greg smiled and plonked himself down on the bed next to her. He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks." Sara hugged him. "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye before I left."

"It's alright. You don't have to explain. We're just glad you're okay."

"How did you all manage to get the day off to come and see me?"

"Well the first conference isn't until this afternoon so we've had all morning free." Warrick explained.

"I'm glad you decided to come and see me. I've missed you all so much."

"We've missed you too…" Cath Replied.

"Speaking of conferences Greg and I have one to attend in about an hour so we'd better head off."

"You guys go on…I'll stay here for a while and I'll meet you back at the hotel." Cath suggested.

"Righto." Warrick replied, knowing Cath and Sara needed to talk. "Come on Greg."

"Aww I'm having fun playing with the baby." Greg replied. He was dangling his keys over Ariel's head and she was smiling back up at him.

"Come on Greg…you can play with the baby later." Warrick laughed. "We've got to go get lunch."

"Righto I'm coming." Greg turned back to Ariel. "Bye-bye little baby…see you soon." He waved then followed Warrick out of the room.

"I might head off too. I've got to do a few things before I pick Dakota up from day care."

"Alright. See you Ami…and thanks." Sara smiled.

"Welcome!" She smiled back. "Nice meeting you Cath."

"You too." Cath waved and Ami left the room, leaving Cath, Ariel and Sara alone in the room.

* * *

"So you probably want an explanation huh?" Sara looked at Cath.

"Only if you want to talk about it. I'm not going to push."

"That's a change." Sara laughed.

"Yeah well…a lot of things changed when you left." Cath frowned.

"Like what exactly?"

"Well…for one I got engaged!" Cath held out her hand to show the ring.

"Really? To who?"

"Well actually he's my new boss. His name is Jack Henry. He started working not long after you left…and well we just… connected."

"That's so sweet."

"Yeah." Cath replied.

"What else?"

"We got a new member of the team to replace you…her name is Janet…she's really nice…probably a little too nice…if you ask me she has some hidden agenda…and she seems a little too keen on Warrick…"

"It's a pity Warrick is married then huh." Sara laughed. Then she paused. "What about Nick?"

"He's still there…"

"How is he?"

"He's alright. He seems happy. But I'm not so sure."

"Is he still with _that _woman?"

"Well yeah but…there's something you should know." Cath hesitated.

"What is it? He's married isn't he?" Sara tried to hide her pain. "It didn't take him long to move on then did it?"

"Sara it's not what you think…that's not…"

"You know what…forget about it. I don't care anymore…I'm not a part of his life anymore so…" She gulped back tears. "I don't care." Cath put her arms around Sara and they sat on the bed together in silence for what felt like hours until Cath finally spoke.

"I should head off. I was going to catch up with one of the other CSI's from Miami before I head back to the hotel. You don't mind do you?"

"No of course not." Sara wiped a tear away from her face.

"I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise."

"I'll be going home tomorrow." Sara told her.

"Well…I'll drop by and give you a lift home."

"That's alright. My neighbour has already said he would do it…" Cath looked disappointed. "But you can drop by after I've settled back in…I'll give you my address." Sara wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Cath.

"Thanks."

"Thanks for coming to see me…"

"That's alright. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah…I'll cook dinner if you like…"

"That'd be great. See you then." Cath gave Sara one final hug before leaving the hospital. Sara curled up on her bed and tried her hardest not to think of Nick.

* * *

"So I see you've got plenty of friends to support you then?" Sara sat up suddenly when she heard someone speaking. She was unsure of where it was coming from.

"You're a lucky one then." Naomi suddenly popped out from behind the curtain across the room.

"Oh. They're from Las Vegas. They're just in town for a conference and decided to visit." Sara explained.

"Ah well. Least you've got someone." Naomi replied. "It's really hard when there's nobody around. When the twins were born I was struggling. I didn't have any friends or family about."

"That's sad."

"Yeah, but I got over it. Just seeing the gorgeous smiles on my babies faces helped me through the day. I always thought 'well at least I've got someone that loves me'." She smiled.

"So, what's your little one's name then?" Naomi asked.

"Ariel."

"Like The Little Mermaid. Little Kelly loves that movie. I've seen it about a thousand times now I think."

"I never really thought of that." Sara sat down in the chair next to the window and Naomi sat next to her.

"It is such a pretty name. Would have named one of mine that if I hadn't already decided on names before they came. I've always dreamed of having a big family you know. Never actually thought it would happen but…"

"Hmmm." Sara was trying not to doze off.

"So, how about you? Did you ever think you were going to have kids?"

"Well…not really. I never was one for children. They used to just look at me and run off screaming." She laughed.

"Ah well. When you have your own its different. They may be a pain in the butt at times but they're still wonderful when you look at them. Especially when they're sleeping." Naomi laughed.

"So, what happened to your little one's old man?"

"It's complicated…"

"Well if you need someone to talk about it to, I've been through it all before."

"Have you ever had your man promise to be there for you, then suddenly come back with a foreign woman and announce he's engaged to her?" Sara blurted out.

"Well I can't say I've been through that exactly. Though my second man, he ran off with some young blonde bimbo three months into my pregnancy. Didn't even get a chance to tell him he was a father. Not that he would have cared much though. Does your ex know you were pregnant?"

"No." Sara admitted. "I was too upset to tell him. I just kind of ran away and hoped I would forget about him. But just looking at Ariel's face reminds me too much of him."

"That is a bit of a problem. My little Ruby here looks just like her daddy. Pity she's never going to know him though."

"Do you ever think that maybe someday your kids will want to know who their fathers are?" Sara asked.

"Maybe. I'm hoping not until they're old enough to understand."

"That's what I'm really afraid of. How am I supposed to explain to Ariel that her father doesn't even know she exists?"

"Well I've written letters to all my kids about their fathers. I figure one day when they are old enough I'll give them their letters and from there they can do what they like."

"That's actually a really good idea." Sara yawned.

"Yeah. I thought so." Sara nodded and yawned again. "You should probably get some sleep. The little ones wont stay sleeping for long. Might as well get a rest while you still can."

"Hmmmm." Sara stood up. "It was nice chatting to you."

"Yeah. I'm sure we'll chat again soon."

"Yeah." Sara walked over and closed the curtain, checked on Ariel, then climbed into bed and fell asleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow.

* * *

**Chapter 3 finished. I added a HEAP to this one. Hope it's better than it was before. Nick next chapter…YAY!!!**


	4. Nick's Lie

**Chapter 4 – Nick's Lie**

"Morning Nick." Adella walked into the kitchen where Nick was making himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning." Nick mumbled.

"Is something wrong?" Adella asked. "You don't seem to be yourself these days."

"I'm fine. I just…never mind."

"No. Tell me. It's all right. I'm your big sister, I'm here for you."

"Thanks Dell, but it's a personal problem."

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Sara would it?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

"Nick, you've been moping about ever since she left. Why don't you go and find her already?"  
"I cant. It's too complicated. She thinks I'm getting married."

"You are getting married." Adella replied. "But that's not the point. You have to tell her how you feel."

"If I tell her how I feel, she'll realise what's going on and it will ruin everything. I can't do that to Maya. Maya needs me right now."

"Did you ever think that Sara might need you too?"

"I don't know. If she needed me so much then why did she take off without even letting me give her an explanation? We were finally together Dell. I love her so much."

"Then tell her!" Adella cried.

"I can't. I can't do that to Maya. If they found out that I was in love with someone else they would kill me and then what use would I be to Sara?"

"I suppose you do have a point. Oh Nicky why do you always have to get yourself into these things?"

"I don't know." Nick sighed.

"Morning Griss." Nick said as he walked into Grissom's office.

"Morning Nick." Grissom replied.

"Where is everyone?"

"Cath, Warrick and Greg have gone to the conference in San Francisco. They left yesterday morning."

"Oh. Right. I forgot." Nick sighed.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It's nothing I can't deal with." Nick replied. "So what have you got for me today?"

"You'll be working with Cameron on the Cassidy Case." Grissom replied. "She's already brought in two of the suspects. She's just waiting for you to do the interviews." He explained.

"Righto. I'll go and give her a hand." Nick replied. He left the office and walked up to where Cameron was waiting for him.

"Morning Nick." Cameron smiled.

"Hey." Nick replied.

"You okay?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine." He snapped back.

"Sorry." Cameron backed off.

"No I'm sorry I didn't mean to snap I just…I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Care to talk about your problems?" Cameron asked.

"It's not really something I can discuss."

"Okay then. You know im here if you need someone to talk to." Cameron smiled sweetly.

"Thanks Cam." Nick replied and they started interviewing their suspects.

Later that night when Nick arrived home, he walked into his living room to see two people making out on the couch.

"Ahem!" Nick coughed.

"Nicky!" the woman cried when the couple broke apart. "You're home early."

"Obviously you haven't been paying any attention to the time. This is when I usually get home." Nick replied.

"Oh." the woman looked at the clock. "So it is." She climbed off the couch and walked up to Nick.

"In future could you please try to keep your relationships out of my house?" Nick said, walking to the fridge and getting out a beer.

"Sorry. He just came over unexpectedly."

"Maya you've got to be more careful. Don't you remember what we were told? If they find out the truth we'd be killed. They could be monitoring the house."

"I'm sorry. I just…" Maya started.

"No. Don't apologise. Just get him out of here. And in future please try and be more careful. If it had been anyone else that walked in then you know what would happen."

"I know. I'm sorry Nicky." Maya had tears in her eyes. "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad at you. Just get him out of here. There's something we need to talk about."

"Okay." Nick watched as Maya walked back to the couch and talked to the guy. He watched as the guy stood up, kissed Maya, and then left the house.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Maya asked.

"Sit down." Nick and Maya sat at the kitchen table.

"I haven't done something wrong have I?"

"No. Well yes but I'm not angry with you. Just please be more careful next time. It's just…"

"You miss Sara don't you?" Maya said suddenly.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Well it is kind of obvious."

"Because I do miss her. I love her so much. I was going to ask her to marry me but now she thinks I'm in love with you."

"Well everyone thinks that. That's the point isn't it?"

"Yes. But I hurt her and I really need to tell her I'm sorry. I need to tell her the truth."

"But what about, won't you…you know get in trouble?"

"I know Sara and I know she'll understand. She wont tell anybody."

"Okay so go and tell her."

"It's more complicated than that. If I show up while everyone else is there, they will know something is up. And besides she's probably moved on now anyway."

"You don't know that for sure. She could still be in love with you." Maya raised her eyebrows.

"But what if she isn't? Then I would have compromised our lives just to make a fool of myself." Nick sighed.

"And if she does still love you, then you'll regret not going to see her for the rest of your life." Maya said.

"Nut I cant do that to you Maya. We've been friends since kindergarten. If your father found out that we were lying about getting married then he would have my head."

"It's alright Nick. We'll figure something out." Maya took Nicks hands in her own and smiled at him. "You know I love you so much right. You're the best friend a girl could have."

"I love you too. You're like a little sister to me. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

"Well I am a big girl. I can take care of myself." She smirked. "Seriously Nick. You have to figure out what you want. If you want Sara I completely understand. You guys are meant for each other."

"I know. I just hope Sara feels the same way." Nick sighed.

**Well it still didn't go too much into Nick's life…but it did show you something. And most of you will probably be able to figure out what is going on. If not then you will just have to wait until the next chapter because then Sara will be having flashbacks…hope you liked it! Once again thanks to all my loyal reviewers **AliciaClark, MrsEads, BobbyBoots, NickGilGreggonumber1fan, Isabelle89, Kalan Porter Fan, Sahariah, NicksBabygirl, Anushka, Allie, Heartagram Lala, Indusgirl1313, Transgenic Girl. I love you all thanks for the wonderful reviews!


	5. Home?

**Chapter 5 – Home?**

"Morning Sara. I see you're all packed and ready to go home." the Nurse walked in, with a little toddler behind her.

"Yeah." Sara replied. "I can't wait to get out of here and get home. Back to my nice cosy apartment. Who's that you've got with you?"

"This is my daughter Alyssa. I couldn't get a sitter for her today so she's stuck with me. That's all right though I've only got a two-hour shift this morning. I'm covering for one of the other nurses." She explained.

"Morning Sara, Kam." Nadine smiled as she walked into the room.

"How are you today Nadine?" Kam, the nurse asked.

"I'm fine. I've got the kids all coming in to see their new sister today."

"Oh, that should be…fun." Kam winced and then turned back to Sara. "I'm glad my shift is only two hours, hopefully I'll be out of here before the herd comes in." She whispered, making Sara laugh.

"Okay well now we'll just get you to sign these forms and then you're free to go." Kam handed a stack of forms to Sara. Sara signed them and handed them back to her.

"Thanks for that. I guess I'll be seeing you when you come in for Ariel's check ups then."

"Hey listen, I'm having some people over for dinner tonight, did you want to come around?"

"Well I've got the kids tonight because their dad is working…"

"That's alright. Bring them around. Ami's bringing her kids around too. You never know they might even make friends." Sara laughed.

"Yeah that would be great. Thanks for the invitation." Kam smiled.

"That's okay. I could do with another female friend anyway. I mean Ami's great and everything but she can be a little boring sometimes."

They laughed.

"Well I'd better get back to it. I'll catch up with you tonight then?"

"Yeah. Thanks, bye."

Sara watched as Kam and her daughter left the room. She sighed and closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

_Sara stood in the break room, pacing back and forth. She was waiting for Nick. She had some really exciting news for him and she just couldn't wait to tell him._

"_Sara." She looked up as Nick walked into the room. _

"_Hey." She beamed. _

"_So what did you want to tell me?"_

"_Well…it's really great news actually." She went to grab his hand but he pulled it away. "What's the matter?" She looked into his eyes and she suddenly saw pain. "What's wrong?" She started to panic._

"_There's something you need to know." He said. He had tears in his eyes._

"_What's going on?" Sara asked._

"_Nicky there you are!' Sara watched as a blonde woman walked up and gave Nick a kiss. "Dad's here and he wants to meet you." _

"_Who's that nick?" Sara asked, she was close to tears. _

"_I'm Maya. Maya Reynolds. I'm Nick's fiancée." _

"_Fiancée?" Sara blinked twice. "Nick?" She looked at him. When he didn't reply she shook her head. "You bastard!" She screamed then she ran from the room._

"_Sara wait! Sara come back!" Nick cried. "Sara"_

"Nick?" Maya shook Nick's arm. "Nicky wake up." Nick opened his eyes and looked up at Maya.

"Hey." He yawned.

"Sorry. You were having a bad dream. You were dreaming about Sara again." Maya sighed.

"Oh." Nick closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I just can't get her out of my head. I keep thinking about the look on her face that day in the break room."

"I'm so sorry about that. It's my fault she ran off."

"No it's not. I should have told her. I've ruined everything haven't I?"

"Well not entirely. You still haven't explained the situation to her. And there is a chance she still loves you."

"How do you know? For all we know she could have moved on by now."

"But what if she hasn't? What if she still loves you Nick." Maya sighed. "Look I don't care about me anymore. I'll explain things to my father, he'll understand. I'll tell him the truth. Then you can go and find Sara. I'm sick of seeing you like this Nick. I know that you're never going to love me like you love Sara. And if we get married it's going to be for all the wrong reasons. I just want you to be happy Nicky. You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Thanks Maya. But I made a promise to you and your father. I'm going to take care of you."

"I'm a big girl Nicky. I can take care of myself. You need to start looking out for yourself. You care too much about other people."

"I can't help it. I get it from mum." Nick laughed.

"Well we're going to have to do something about this now. You're going to go and see Grissom first thing in the morning and ask for a few days off, then you're going to get on a plane, fly to San Francisco and tell Sara how you really feel?"

"How do you know that's where she is?" Nick asked.

"Well I err…"

"Tell me!" Nick cried.

"Cath called me last night." Maya braced herself for an attack. When Nick didn't say anything she opened her eyes. He was gone. "Nick?" Maya asked and looked around. She wandered down the hall and into Nick's room where he was frantically packing his suitcase.

"Nicky?" Maya asked with a smile. "You're going aren't you?"

"I have to see her Maya." He cried.

"I know you do." She replied.

Meanwhile back in San Francisco…

Sara was sitting on the edge of her bed; bottle feeding Ariel when Ami walked into the room.

"Ami hey.' Sara smiled.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I'm almost finished here." Sara replied.

"Well I'll take your bags down to the car while I'm waiting." Ami picked up the suitcase.

"Thanks." Sara replied. "Hey Ami, I'm having a few people over for dinner tonight. I was thinking of maybe having a BBQ and I was hoping you would come."

"Sure. I'd love to."

"Bring the kids too."

"Okay sure. I'll be right back." Ami walked out of the room. Sara finished feeding Ariel, then packed her into the capsule. She then placed the bottle and the last of her belongings into the change bag she had with her. Then she picked up the capsule and walked out of the room. She met Ami halfway through the hall.

"Hey. Finished?" Ami asked.

"Yeah. Let's go. I can't wait to get home."

"I bet." Ami replied and the two of them left the hospital.

Later that night…

"Knock, Knock." Jerry called from the door of Sara's apartment.

"Doors open." Sara called back.

"Mmmm something smells good." Jerry walked into Sara's apartment.

"Yeah. I'm having a few people over for dinner tonight. Did you want to join us?"

"I'd love to, except I have a date." Jerry smirked.

"Ooh. Who's the lucky guy then?" Sara teased as she chopped some vegetables up.

"Well his name is Adrian. He's Greek and he's got a gorgeous smile." Jerry replied.

"Ooh sounds interesting. Pity he's gay." Sara laughed. "Here taste this and see if it needs anything." Sara held out a wooden spoon and Jerry ate a little bit of the sauce.

"Yum. That's amazing. I didn't know you could cook."

"Umm yeah…neither did I. It's not that hard, all I had to do was read instructions." Sara laughed and pointed to a box that was sitting on the counter.

"Ah. Taking the easy way out huh?" He laughed. "Well good luck with that. Anyway I came over here to ask how you were. Just check if Ariel is steeling in okay."

"Yeah she's fine. she loves her new bed. well as much as I can tell anyway. She's been sleeping ever since I got home. she's only woken up once and that was for a feed." Sara laughed.

"So she takes after her mother then does she." Jerry teased.

"Hey!" Sara smacked his hand lightly.

"Ouch, you bruised me." Jerry laughed.

"Oh I'm sure you'll live." She laughed.

"So how many people have you got coming over?"

"Umm, well there's Ami and her two kids, my friends from Vegas Cath, Warrick and Greg and then there's the nurse I've just met and her kids."

"Wow. Sounds like some party huh." Jerry laughed.

"How long until your date?"

"Well I'm supposed to be getting picked up at 7."

"Oh good. I'm expecting everyone at six. I'd love for you to meet my friends from Vegas. And I'm sure they'd love to meet you too." Sara replied.

"So, did you need a hand with anything?"

"Just the dishes." Sara replied.

"Okay. I'll give you a hand." Jerry offered.

"I was just joking. You don't have to help."

"It's okay. I've got a few hours until my date gets here, so I may as well do something useful."

"Okay then, grab a tea towel." Jo pointed to one of the drawers.

"Okay." He grabbed a tea towel and started helping Sara as she washed dishes.

Nick sat in his rental car, not knowing what to do. He had taken the first flight from Vegas to San Francisco and had rented a car as soon as he had landed. He sighed and looked at the piece of paper Maya had given him with Sara's address on it. He closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath and opened the car door. Then he slowly made his way up the stairs towards Sara's apartment. He was about to knock on the door when he saw someone through the window. He looked closer and saw that it was a man, standing next to Sara. They were standing at the kitchen sink laughing together. Nick sighed and closed his eyes again, willing himself not to cry. He had come all this way for nothing. He turned to walk back down the stairs when he noticed a familiar group of people walking towards him. Cath, Warrick and Greg. He quickly looked around for somewhere to go, but because Sara's apartment was the last one in the row he had nowhere to go. He was trapped.

Dun Dun Dun…what do you think he is going to do? Will Sara find out he's there? Will Cath, Warrick and Greg see him? Review and you will find out. Come on peoples I'm going for at least 60 reviews. Which means at least 11 people have to review this chapter. Come on! You know you want to! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter btw! Thanks for the reviews I loved them!

Jess!


	6. Love Is Not Enough

**Chapter 6 – Love Is Not Enough**

Nick sat in his rental car, not knowing what to do. He had taken the first flight from Vegas to San Francisco and had rented a car as soon as he had landed. He sighed and looked at the piece of paper Maya had given him with Sara's address on it. He closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath and opened the car door. Then he slowly made his way up the stairs towards Sara's apartment. He was about to knock on the door when he saw someone through the window. He looked closer and saw that it was a man, standing next to Sara. They were standing at the kitchen sink laughing together. Nick sighed and closed his eyes again, willing himself not to cry. He had come all this way for nothing. He turned to walk back down the stairs when he noticed a familiar group of people walking towards him. Cath, Warrick and Greg. He quickly looked around for somewhere to go, but because Sara's apartment was the last one in the row he had nowhere to go. He was trapped.

He stood frozen to the spot as Cath, Warrick and Greg came closer to the bottom of the stairs.

"Think Nick think." He said to himself. He was just about to turn and make a run for it, but as he did so he ran into the garbage can that was sitting outside Sara's door.

"Did you hear that?" Sara asked.

"Your friends must be here."

"Already?" She looked at her watch.

"Wow its already quarter to. Do you mind letting them in while I go get changed?"

"Not a problem." Sara headed for her bedroom and Jerry walked towards the door.

"Oh no." Nick cried when he saw Cath, Warrick and Greg start up the stairs, talking and laughing together. He looked around for somewhere to hide and was contemplating jumping off the side of the rail into the garden below when the door opened behind him and Jerry popped out.

"Hey there. You must be one of Sara's friends from Vegas. I'm Jerry her neighbour. She's just getting changed but she asked me to let you in."

"No I…" Nick started but Jerry interrupted him.

"Come on inside. She's made a very lovely dinner for you all. So which one are you? Greg or Warrick?"

"Huh?" Nick was confused.

"What's your name?"

"Nick." He replied. He kept looking behind him and he could hear Cath's voice as they neared the top of the stairs.

"Well Nick are you going to come inside or not?"

Nick looked into the apartment, and that was when he spotted the back door.

"Ah sure." He replied and he followed Jerry into the apartment.

"So how do you know Sara?"

"We're…old friends." He walked in, keeping his eyes on the back door.

"Right well make yourself comfy I'm sure Sara will be out any minute.

"Ah…thanks." Nick didn't sit down. He slowly edged further towards the back door. When the front doorbell rang Jerry smiled and headed towards the door.

"Ah that must be the others." He said. Nick used this opportunity to run towards the back door. He thought while Jerry was distracted letting the others in he could make his escape through the back door. he started walking fast towards the door when BAM he ran straight into Sara who stepped out of the hall and around the corner just as Nick was walking past.

"Hey sorry I didn't see you there I…" Sara looked up and when she saw Nick her face went white and she suddenly lost her balance and started to fall to the floor. She grabbed the wall for support and Nick just stared at her.

"Nick?" She whispered.

"Hey Sara your friends are here…are you alright?" Jerry noticed her sitting on the floor, her face white and tears in her eyes.

Sara didn't register that Jerry was even there. All she could do was sit and stare at Nick, who in return stared back down at her.

When the others walked in and saw Nick they all gasped.

"What's going on?" Greg whispered.

"I'm not sure." Warrick replied.

"Maybe we should leave?" Cath suggested.

"Nick." Sara whispered again, not believing what she was seeing. "Is it really you?"

"Yeah. It's really me." He smiled at her and held out his hand to help her up. She grabbed is hand and the second she was standing she threw her arms around him. Nick closed his eyes and breathed in her smell. He wrapped his arms around her and let a tear fall down his face. Then the moment was broken when she stepped back and slapped him across his face really hard.

"How dare you!" She screamed.

"Sara I'm sorry. For everything."

"You think you can just walk back into my life, say sorry and expect everything to be okay?" She cried. The tears flowed down her face but she ignored them. She was too angry to care.

"I really am sorry. I wish I could tell you what happened. I wish I could explain everything that's going on. But I cant."

"Why? Because you slept with me then you ran off and came back with a fiancée? Or because you

"Sara you don't understand."

"No Nick you don't understand. I love you so much and you just threw it back in my face."

"I love you Sara. I will always love you."

"Don't you get it Nick? Love is not enough." She screamed. Then she closed her eyes and her voice softened. "Anyone can say those words but they don't have any meaning if they come from the wrong person. You're getting married Nick, you cant love me if you're marrying someone else."

"But I…"

"I don't want to hear it Nick. Just leave. Just get out of here." Sara turned her back on him.

"Sara don't leave. I love you."

She turned back and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I don't love you!" She said coldly and walked into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

**Well I wasn't sure exactly how to end the chapter. So I decided to end it there. And for all of those who have been asking about the happy ending…you'll have to wait and see. I'm not giving anything away. But seeing as I'm so into this fic right now I'm going to write another chapter right now. Toodles!**

**Jess**


	7. The Truth Comes Out

**Miracles do happen…two chapters in one week. Go me! In this chapter you'll find out what really happened between Nick and Maya. But this chapter there is no happy reunion. I'm saving that for the next chapter. Hehehe (evil laugh). And please bear with me on this but I have no idea about American laws cos I'm an Australia…so if u have any comments about what's going on please be nice about it! Thanks for the reviews…they were awesome. Lmao loved your review Transgenic-Girl, it pretty much summed up the next chapter lol. Well I'll let u start reading now. Ciao!**

**Chapter 7 – The Truth Comes Out**

Jerry looked at Nick, and then followed Sara into the bedroom. Nick just stood there, motionless. He didn't know what to do.

"Nick." Warrick put a hand on his shoulder. Nick didn't say anything.

"I'll take him back to the hotel." Warrick led Nick out of the apartment.

"I'll call Ami and let her know what's happened." Cath walked towards the phone.

Ariel had heard the door slam and had woken up. she was screaming but Sara didn't come out of her room so Greg made his way down the hall to attend to Ariel.

"Sara." Jerry knocked softly on the door. He didn't wait for a reply before he entered. When he saw Sara on the bed crying her eyes out he walked over and sat next to her, putting his arm around her.

"I'm sorry." Sara whispered.

"You don't have to apologise."

"That's not how I wanted tonight to go. It was supposed to be a fun, happy night. Why did he have to show up?"

"I don't know Sara." Jerry sighed. "He's Ariel's father isn't he?" Sara nodded. "Does he know about her?"

"No, he doesn't."

"Do you want him to know?"

"He wont want her." Sara replied. "He's getting married Jer, he doesn't love me."

"It seems to me that he does love you. I don't know him, but I do know love when I see it and he's in love with you."

"Then why is he marrying someone else? Am I not good enough for him?"

"Of course you are Sara. You're a wonderful, magnificent, beautiful woman and any man would be lucky to have you."

"I don't want any man…I want Nick."

"Then why did you tell him you didn't love him?"

"I don't know. I guess I just wanted him to see how much it hurts. I wanted to hurt him like he hurt me."

"Did it make you feel any better?"

"No." Sara sighed. "Why do bad things always have to happen to me?"

"Bad things happen to everyone, trust me I know."

"I'm sorry Jer. I really didn't want to drag you into this."

"Well you're not dragging me anywhere, because I'm going willingly." Jerry smiled at her.

"Hey." Cath knocked on the door. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure." Sara replied.

"Did you want me to stay?" Jerry asked.

"No, you go. You've got your big date tonight. I know how hard it was for you to find a man, and I don't want to be the one to ruin that for you."

"Just remember, you call me if you need anything. It doesn't matter what it is."

"Okay." Sara gave Jerry a quick kiss on the cheek and he left the room. Cath walked in with Ariel in her arms.

"I think she's hungry." Cath walked over and handed Ariel to Sara.

"Thanks." Sara gave Ariel a kiss.

"I called Ami, I told her not to bring the kids around."

"Thanks."

"Sara there's something you should know about Nick."

"I don't want to hear about it Cath." Sara said, tears in her eyes still.

"You have to hear it Sara. Nick still loves you and he has never stopped loving you."

"Then why is he marrying someone else?"

"It's hard to explain. I don't know the whole story; you'll have to talk to Nick about that. All I know is Maya is an old friend of his, and her father is an extremely dangerous guy. Maya needed a way to get out of Russia and live in America, away from her father. So Nick offered to marry her so she could stay in the country."

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"Because if her father found out that she was getting married so she could stay in America he would kill her, and Nick too."

"Then why did he agree to do it in the first place?"

"I don't know. Nick never told me about that."

"What did he tell you?"

"That he loves you, and he always will. And it broke his heart the day you left. And that if there was any way of taking back what had happened he would."

"It's too late. Everything is ruined."

"I'm sure Nick knew you didn't mean what you said."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"What are you taking about?"

"Nick's getting married Cath. No matter what way you look at it he's getting married. And there is nothing I can do to stop it." Sara started crying again and Cath pulled her in for a closer hug.

Meanwhile back at the hotel…

"Okay Nick you need to explain what is going on." Warrick handed a cup of tea to Nick to calm him down.

"It's complicated."

"Try me." Warrick sat opposite him.

"Well…for started Maya's real name is Marcia "

"_Marcia!" Nick threw his arms around her as she ran up to him._

"_Nicky. I'm so glad to see you." She hugged him back._

"_What's going on? Why are you here? What happened to your face?"_

"_It's Dad. He's gone crazy again Nicky." Marcia had tears in her eyes. "I'm lucky I got here. If Dad finds out I'm here then he'll kill me."_

"_Why did you come here?"_

"_It's the only way I could get out of there. I didn't know where else to go Nicky."_

"_Well we need to take you someplace safe. You'll have to come back and stay with me for a while. Just until we can find somewhere else for you."_

"_But what about you Nick? If he finds out you've been helping me he'll kill you. I don't want you to get hurt."_

"_We'll worry about that later. Are you sure you weren't followed?"_

"_No. I don't think so."_

"_Come on. We've got to get you out of here. We'll take you some place and get you cleaned up. Then you've got to change your appearance."_

"_Thankyou so much Nicky. I don't know what I would do without you."_

"_It's alright. You're going to be safe now." He hugged her again._

"So she came to America to get away from her abusive father. I still don't get why you have to marry her."

"Because if I don't she cant stay in America."

"But why can't she marry someone else? Why you Nick?"

"Because I'm not about to let her go out and marry some stranger. She's like my little sister War, I could never let her do that."

"Well how about witness protection."

"I've already considered that. But I'm not too sure I could face never seeing her again."

"Well Nick you've got to choose. I know it may be hard but you've got to choose between Maya or Sara. You can't have both of them."

"I know." Nick sighed. "This is going to be the hardest decision of my life." He put his head in his hands and sighed once again.

**Well there we go. It may be a very crappy chapter. And if anyone has any suggestions on what should happen…PLEASE tell me. I'm running out of ideas people lol. I'm aiming for a hundred reviews for this story so it's got to be at least three more chapters! Come on people review lol! **

**Jess**


	8. A Tough Decision

**Well even though I've only got like 6 reviews for the last chapter I'm still going to post more! In this chapter Nick has to make the hardest decision of his life, with some devastating consequences. I hope you like it, I'm going to make someone die soon so you'll have to keep reviewing to find out who lol. (Insert evil laugh here) Haha Haha. **

**Chapter 8 – A Tough Decision**

Nick sat in his hotel room with a list in his hand. He had been thinking for several hours now, weighing up the pros and cons of each decision, seeing which would be the better option, but he had so far come up with nothing. He loved Sara so much but he couldn't betray Maya because she was like a younger sister to him. He wanted so much to spend his life with Sara but he also wanted Maya to be safe, and the only way that was possible was to marry an American citizen then go into Witness protection and he didn't want her to marry a stranger. On his list he had two columns. One with Sara's name at the top and one with Maya's name at the top. There were equal amounts of writing on both lists it wasn't helping much at all.

"What am I going to do?" He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the list again.

"Nick?" Warrick knocked and walked in without waiting for a reply.

"Hey." Nick smiled and sat on the list so Warrick couldn't see it.

"We're all heading down to the pub for dinner if you want to join us?" Warrick suggested.

"Are you sure that's such a great idea? Everyone hates me."

"Nah mate you've got it all wrong. We're all worried about you. Nobody hates you."

"Sara does."

"I'm sure she didn't mean what she said Nick."

"You saw the look on her face War, she meant it. She hates me."

"Come on. A drink down at the bar with a few friends will do you good. Take your mind off things."

"I don't need to take my mind off things. I need to make a decision."

"Well have you thought about it?"

"I haven't stopped thinking about it. I really love Sara and I want to be with her, but there's no way I can ever hurt Maya. I've known her for too long to betray her."

"Well like I said. You can't have them both."

"Yeah I guess not."

"Well I'm supposed to be meeting the others downstairs. You're welcome to join us at any time when you're ready."

"Thanks." Warrick was about to leave when Nick's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. "It's Maya."

"Hello?" He answered.

"Nicky." She whispered.

"Maya? What's wrong?" He could hear her crying.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Sorry, for what?"

"I'm leaving Nick."

"What do you mean leaving?"

"I'm going back to Russia."

"But I thought…"

"It's alright Nick. Just leave it.".

"Maya what's going on?" Nick was confused. "Why did you change your mind suddenly?" there was no answer.

"Maya what is going on?" Nick asked again.

"My name is Marcia." She started crying.

"Maya…"

"Goodbye Nick." Nick was about to say something when she hung up. "Maya wait" He cried but it was too late. She was gone.

"Something's not right. She wouldn't just call like that." Nick cried. "Something is wrong."

"What did she say?"

"She told me she was leaving. She said she was going back to Russia to be with he father…Oh my god Warrick he found her. He's there. He's got her…what if he hurts her. I've got to do something." He picked up the phone and called the airport to book the next flight to Vegas.

"Where are you going?"

"To help her." Nick cried and he left the room.

**Well I was thinking of making someone die, but I've got to go now so I don't have time. Instead I'll make you wait. I've got at least 5-10 more chapters planned out if you're interested in reading. But I'm only going to post if I get reviews. So you know what to do : D **

**Jessums**


	9. Confrontation

**Well it's that time again, yep time for a new chapter. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews I loved all of them! Now I am definitely going to make someone get shot in this chapter. They won't die until the next chapter tho…hope you like it :D It might be a crappy chapter cos I've got the Flu and my head hurts, but I hope you like it still!**

**Chapter 9 – Confrontation**

Nick stormed his way through the airport towards the taxi station. As soon as he saw a free taxi he ran for it and made it just before someone else.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Uh…" Nick called out the address of his apartment. He didn't know where else to start searching for her.

"Righto." The driver pulled away from the airport and started in towards the main strip.

"Could you go a little faster? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"I'm already going above the speed limit."

"Well I need to be somewhere NOW. Someone's life is in danger."

"What are you a cop or something?"

"No, I work at the crime lab. But I need to get home really quickly."

"Righto, I'll see what I can do." The cab driver put his foot down and started speeding past the traffic on the road. Nick braced himself as they sped around corners and up hills until they finally arrived at his apartment block.

"Maya!" He called, rushing towards his apartment. "Please let her be okay." He said to himself. "Maya?" He noticed that his door had been forced open. "Maya are you in here?"

"Nicky!" he heard her scream.

"Maya I'm coming."

"No Nick it's a trap. You shouldn't have come." Maya screamed again.

"Maya!" He yelled and he ran towards her bedroom.

"I knew you would come." He heard a deep voice as soon as he walked into the room. Two very large men in suits were holding Maya captive at the back of the room.

"What's going on Maya?" Nick stepped closer.

"Her name is Marcia." He heard the same voice say. Nick looked around the room and he saw a tall, bulky man dressed in a black suit and a grey tie. He was sitting on the corner of Maya's bed and he was holding a gun in his hand.

"So I finally get to meet the infamous Nick Stokes." He laughed. "Grab him!"

"What's going on? Who are you people?" Nick cried. "Let go of me!" one of the two men who were holding Maya grabbed hold of Nick.

"Why I'm Marcia's older brother of course. Our father has sent me here to retrieve Marcia. It seems she's been a very naughty girl, so we're taking her home to get punished."

"Nick get out of here please. This has nothing to do with you. I can handle things myself."

"Oh but this has everything to do with Nick."

"Why? What did he do wrong?"

"He kidnapped you of course." The man grinned evilly.

"He didn't kidnap me I ran away!"

"Now why on earth would you do something like that?"

"Because I hate you! I hate Dad, I hate the whole family."

"Ooh, now that's harsh. But I forgive you, because deep down inside I know you still love us, and you're willing to do anything you can to help us!"

"Why would she want to help you? You're trying to kill her!" Nick spat.

"Nobody ever asked for your opinion!" Maya's brother hissed.

"Antonio stop it!" Maya cried. "I'm the one you want. Just take me home and leave Nick out of this."

"Well if I did that I would be disobeying a direct order from our father."

"What order?"

"To kill Nick Stokes of course." He cocked the gun.

"No!" Maya screamed. "Nick RUN!" She kicked the guy that was holding her in the groin then made a grab for the gun her brother was holding.

"Maya look out!" Nick cried. He tried to free himself but he wasn't strong enough. Maya grabbed for the gun and had her hands on it. She had almost got hold of it when…BANG! The gun went off and the room fell totally silent.

**Wow…another cliffhanger. I guess that means if you want to read more you'll have to review. Come on only 20 more reviews until I'm happy. The minute I get 100 reviews I post three chapters at once! I've written them but all I need is the magic number, then they go up! Oh and there is a special prize for the person who gives me the 100th review! Tata for now. Jess**


	10. Worth Fighting For

**Okay time for another chapter. I'm not sure how long this chapter will be because I'm not supposed to be using the computer. I'm supposed to be doing some work…my bad lol. Well there are still quite a few chapters planned for this fic and as long as you keep reviewing I'll keep posting. Enjoy tha chapter! Jess**

**Chapter 10 – Worth Fighting For**

"Maya look out!" Nick cried. He tried to free himself but he wasn't strong enough. Maya grabbed for the gun and had her hands on it. She had almost got hold of it when…BANG! The gun went off and the room fell totally silent.

Maya gasped and let go of the gun. She looked up at Nick and tears started pouring down her face. She brought her hands up to her chest and touched the blood that was pouring from her wound. Time seemed to slow down and Nick watched her fall to the ground and he rushed over to her.

"Maya!" He screamed. He bent down beside her and quickly applied pressure to her chest.

"I'm sorry Nick." Maya whispered.

"It's okay Maya hold on. We'll get you to the hospital." Nick cried. "Somebody call an ambulance!" He screamed. The three men that were in the room looked at Nick, then at Maya, then back at Nick.

"Call an ambulance!" He shouted again.

"Marcia?" Antonio looked at her, his face pale and frightened. "What have I done?" a tear escaped his eye. "Oh Marcia I'm so sorry." Antonio bent down beside Nick and Maya.

"Can somebody call an ambulance please?" Nick cried. "We need to get her to the hospital."

Antonio looked at one of the other men that were standing in the room.

"Well what are you waiting for? Call the fucking ambulance!" He screamed at them. They jumped and quickly exited the room.

"It's alright Maya, you'll be okay." Nick had tears pouring down his face.

"Please Marcia, I'm so sorry. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. I just wanted you to come home and be with your family."

"Nick." Maya whispered.

"It's okay Maya I'm here." He ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm so sorry." She said through her pain. "Find her Nick. Tell her how you feel." Maya struggled for breath but she kept talking. "Make her the happiest woman on earth." Maya forced herself to smile then she closed her eyes.

"No Maya No!" Nick screamed as Maya struggled for breath. "Come on you can make it. Just hold on a little longer." Nick pushed down harder on her wound to try and stop the bleeding.

"Marcia." Antonio cried. "I am so sorry."

"Look at what you've done!" Nick cried. "How could you shoot your own sister?" He looked at Antonio accusingly.

"I…it was an accident. I didn't mean to hurt her." Antonio cried. "I love her."

"If you had just let her be, just left her alone this never would have happened."

"I…" Antonio couldn't think of what to say. In the distance he heard sirens coming closer. He looked at Nick, then at Maya's limp body. "I'm sorry Marcia." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, then before Nick could say anything he stood and ran from the room.

"Bastard!" Nick screamed, then he turned back to Maya. "It's going to be alright you'll see. The tears rolled down Nick's face as he tried so hard to keep her alive.

Back in San Francisco…

"Here we go Ariel. We're home again. Let's check and see if anyone has called." Sara pushed the pram into the living area and pressed the button on the answering machine, then started unbuckling Ariel's straps.

"_Sara it's me."_ A familiar voice came onto the answering machine. _"I know you probably really don't want to hear from me right now, but there's something I need you to know. Cath explained the story to you but she didn't tell you everything. The only reason I agreed to marry Maya was because I love her like a sister. We've been best friends since we were little kids and she only asked me to marry her because she knew she could trust me. I know this doesn't…"_ _Beep._

"_End of message"_

Sara looked at the answering machine. There were two more messages and she knew they were probably both from Nick. Her finger lingered over the delete button, but then something inside of her made her push the play button instead.

"_It's Nick again. If you haven't deleted this message then I want you to know that I still love you Sara. I always have and I always will. Never once have I stopped loving you for even a second. And the only reason I agreed to the marriage was because Maya is like a sister to me, and I didn't want her to marry a stranger she couldn't trust. Anyway the reason I'm calling is Maya was in an accident. Well it wasn't an accident exactly; her older brother shot her. I know this doesn't mean anything to you but the last words she spoke to me were telling me to find you Sara and tell you hoe much I…"_ _Beep. "End of message."_

Sara quickly pressed the play button once again, tears in her eyes as she listened to Nick's voice.

"_What I'm trying to say is that I have missed you so much, and I love you more than anything. If I could go back and change things I would, but I cant so all I can do is try and make it up to you. I know you probably never want to see me again, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive me for what I've done then please come to Vegas. I don't know if I can get through this on my own, and I know no matter what happens you will always be the only one I can trust with my feelings. I love you Sara and I am really sorry_." _Beep. "End of Message."_

Sara looked down at Ariel who was gurgling and laughing in her pram.

"What do you say we go and introduce you to your daddy." Sara smiled. "Maybe seeing you will make him feel better." She beamed at her daughter, who in return waved her arms and legs around happily. Sara picked up the phone and dialled Ami's number.

"Hey Sara, what's up?" Ami asked as she walked into Sara's room half and hour later. Sara was standing over her cupboard pulling out some clothes and packing them into a bag.

"So what's up? Why did you call me? And what's with the bag?"

"Well it's about Nick."

"Jerry called and told me what happened the other night. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…well I will be. It's Nick I'm worried about. He needs me Ami."

"What makes you say that?"

"You know how I told you he was getting married?"

"Yeah."

"Well his fiancé just happens to be the daughter of a Russian mobster."

"What?"

"Yeah. Nick only agreed to marry Maya because if he didn't she would have to go back and live with her father in Russia."

"So why did he volunteer to marry her?"

"I don't know. But that's not important right now. I've got to go back and see Nick. I need to tell him about Ariel."

"But I thought you hated him?"

"I do, but I love him so much more than I hate him. He called me in tears and told me Maya had been shot. He was really upset Ami."

"So why do you have to be the one to go and rescue him?"

"Because I love him. And he really needs someone right now."

"So why not send Warrick or one of the others back?"

"Because he called and asked for me." Sara cried. "He doesn't know about Ariel."

"So you're flying all the way back to Vegas just to tell him?"

"No I'm going back there because he needs me."

"After everything he's done to you, you're still going to go back there?"

"I love him Ami. And no matter what happens nothing will ever change that. Nick is Ariel's father and there is no way I'm going to let her grow up without him in her life." Sara cried.

"What about this…Maya chick?"

"He was only ever marrying her because she's like a sister to him. He didn't want her to have to go back to Russia with her father, so he agreed to marry her so she could go into witness protection and stay away from him."

"I still don't get why you're going back." Ami shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. I'll explain later. But will you come with me?"

"What?"

"I need your help. I want to take Ariel to see him, but I need to talk to him before that. And I need someone I know to look after Ariel while I talk to him."

"And you want me to help you?"

"Yes. I know it's last minute and everything, but will you please help me out?"

"Alright fine. But you'd better promise me you wont slap him in the face and yell at him again."

"Thanks Ami." She gave her friend a hug, then packed the rest of hers and Ariel's things into the bags.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ami asked.

"I love him Ami. I have to do this." Sara zipped up her bag.

"Okay. Well give me half an hour to go home and get my things. I'll meet you at the airport at 3.00."

"Thanks Ami." Sara gave her another hug.

"What are friends for." Ami sighed and hugged Sara back.

"So have you heard from Nick yet?" Catherine asked. She, Warrick and Greg were just coming out of their final seminar for the week.

"No. He told me he would call as soon as he found her." Warrick replied.

"And he hasn't called yet?" Greg questioned.

"Not yet."

"What if they got to her before he did?"

"I don't want to think about that." Warrick sighed. "I just hope that Nick's alright. I've never seen him so worried before." Just as he said that Catherine's phone started ringing.

"Willows." She answered it. "Oh hey Ami, yeah we just finished the last one why? WHAT!"

"What's going on?" Greg whispered.

"That's insane why would she do that? Oh…well tell her we're on our way over…what do you mean she doesn't want us to know…? Well can we do anything…? Alright I'll talk to you soon. Bye Ami."

"What's going on?" Greg asked.

"It's Sara."

"Is something wrong? Is she alright?"

"She's fine…she's on her way to the airport. She's going back to Vegas."

"What?" Warrick and Greg cried at the same time.

"Apparently Nick called her and said something about Maya being shot and he wanted to see Sara or something. I didn't get most of it she was talking too fast. What I do know is that she is going back to Vegas at three and she doesn't want any of us to know."

"So what are we meant to do? Sit around here all day and wait for them to call?"

"Well our flight is later this afternoon. If we're lucky we might make it back to Vegas in time to see them."

"So what do we do?"

"We go to the hotel, pack our bags and wait for our flight. Sara knows what she's doing. She can look after herself." Cath assured them.

"So now all we do is wait!"

"Exactly." Cath sighed.

**Well there we go. I was going to make it longer but I decided hey 6 pages are quite enough for one chapter. And I didn't leave it on a cliffhanger this time. Well not really anyway. I hope you liked it. Feedback please! Even if it is negative I want your opinions! **


	11. Emergency Ward

**Now I know it's been a while since I updated but I've been busy…I am so stressed out doing last minute arrangements before I leave for Melbourne and I will be gone for a while…then I start work when I get back so it may take me a while to post more. Anyway I thought I would update before I left so you wouldn't have to wait too long. Well on with the story. It's great to see you're still sticking with me lol! Not long now and it will all be over…but I am planning a sequel :D Tata for now! Jess **

**Chapter 11 - Emergency Ward**

Sara sat in the taxi next to Ami, her body shaking all over from nerves. They were stopped outside the hospital and she was having second thoughts about going in.

"Would you calm down already?" Ami laughed. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

"Ami how can I be calm? I'm about to see the father of my child for the first time in almost a year and he doesn't even know about Ariel."

"I'm sure he'll understand when you talk to him."

"What if he doesn't? What if he doesn't want anything to do with Ariel…or me?" Sara gulped back tears.

"Sara would you just shut up and listen. Nick loves you…I know you don't believe me but I've talked to Cath and Warrick _and_ Greg. They _all_ said Nick has missed you like crazy since you left. And I know that he is going to love Ariel just as much as you do. You have to give him a chance Sara he has a right to know about this."

"You're right." Sara sighed and took a deep breath. They got out of the cab and headed towards the hospital doors. "I can't do this!' Sara turned her back to the doors and started walking away. Ami, who was holding Ariel's carrier in one hand, grabbed Sara and pulled her back.

"No way are you chickening out now girl! We haven't come all the way down here just for you to turn your back and walk away. You can do this Sara I know you can. You can do it for Ariel, she needs a father, and you need Nick back in your life."

"I know…I just don't know what to say to him. He hurt me so much and I hate him for that."

"Well obviously you don't hate him too much or else you wouldn't have flown us all down here in such a hurry."

"It was a stupid idea…I'm sorry."

"It's not a stupid idea. It shows how much you still love Nick, and I know from what you've told me he still loves you a hell of a lot. He had enough guts to make the first move, he came to see you, and then he called and asked for you!"

"I know…" Sara sighed. She closed her eyes and put her face in her hands, then sighed once more.

"Now just remember I'll be with you every step of the way. If you need me you know what to do!"

"Yeah. Thanks so much Ami, you're a real friend."

"It's nothing really. Now come on, get in there and get your man!"

"Well when you put it like that…" Sara laughed and she and Ami headed into the hospital.

Meanwhile back in the Emergency Room…

"What's happening? What's going on? Have you got any news yet?" Nick bombarded the doctors with questions each time they walked past. And every time he was told the same thing.

"She is still in surgery. We wont know anything until she comes out of theatre."

Nick sunk back down into the cold, hard, plastic chair and sighed. He had been waiting for hours and he hadn't heard anything. Maya had been rushed straight through to the Emergency department and had been sent into surgery to assess the damage. Nick was getting sick of just sitting down and doing nothing so he stood and walked towards the surgery rooms.

"You can't go in there sir!" One of the nurses stepped out in front of him and stopped him.

"I need to know how she is…I need to see her!"

"I'm sorry Sir but I can't allow you in there. You will just have to wait for the doctors to come out."

"I've been waiting for hours already. Surely they would know something by now!" He practically shouted at her.

"If you just take a seat I'll go and find out for you." The nurse pointed towards the seats where Nick had been sitting earlier.

"I need to know how she is!" Nick begged.

"Alright. Take a seat and I personally will go and find out."

"Thankyou." Nick sighed and skulked back to the seat while the nurse headed towards the surgery rooms.

………………………………………………………………………………..

"Come on Sara just go up and ask." Ami was pushing her towards the reception desk.

"I cant!"

"Fin, then I will!" Ami walked up to the desk herself and rang the bell. A nurse walked out and smiled at her. "Hi, we're looking for a patient." Ami

"What was the name?" the nurse looked up as Sara walked up.

"Maya…I don't know her last name. She was shot and that's all I know? I'm actually looking for the man who came in with her."

"Oh…well he's up in the emergency department poor guy has been panicking since he came in."

"So you know him then?"

"Yes, we're all worried about him. He hasn't rested since he came in, and he is really on edge."

"Great." Sara muttered.

"Thankyou for that. Where's the emergency department?"

"First floor to your right."

"Thankyou." Ami pulled Sara towards the elevator.

"I can't see him now. You heard what the nurse said…he's really on edge."

"Sara he called and wanted you to come here. He wouldn't have called if he didn't need you."

"I just don't know what to do anymore." She sighed. Ami walked into the elevator and looked at Sara.

"You have to do this…you know you can do it. You're strong enough Sara." Sara looked into Ami's eyes, tears forming in her own.

"Okay." Sara closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stepped onto the elevator.

When the elevator stopped on the first floor Sara gulped back more tears as she and Ami took their first steps into the emergency ward.

"This is it!" Sara looked at Ami for support.

"You'll be fine. I'll just be waiting right over here. You go get him girl!" Sara gave Ami a quick hug, kissed Ariel on the forehead and then walked towards the main waiting area.

Nick paced the floor of the waiting room, still waiting for news of Maya's condition. The nurse that had promised him an update had not yet returned and he was growing more and more anxious with every second that passed.

"Nick Stokes?" Nick's head shot up as soon as he heard his name. Standing in front of him was the nurse from earlier on.

"How is she?" Nick asked, desperately seeking information.

"She…well…I'm really sorry Nick…" The nurse looked away.

"No!" Nick cried. "No she can't be dead. She can't!" Nick started crying, tears pouring down his face as he closed his eyes to block out the pain.

"Nick?" Sara watched as he turned to face her. She could see his eyes widen and then he started crying even more and fell to the ground.

"NICK!" She rushed over to him and knelt down in front of him. "It's okay Nicky I'm here now." Sara hushed him.

"She's dead Sara…he killed her."

"It's alright Nicky. Shhh." She wrapped her arms around him and he cried into her shoulder. Ami watched from a distance with a smile.

"I think everything is going to be okay." She looked down at Ariel who was sleeping in her carrier and grinned.

**Well that's all I've got for you now. It's not as much as usual but I am over run with plans and organising things and I just thought I would update b4 I left…so ciao ciao I shall write more when I return! Jess**


	12. I'll Comfort You

**Okay so I'm back now and I heard this song and I decided I was going to write another chapter using the song! The song is called Comfort You by Cyndi Lauper Besides that I finally reached 100 reviews and over 16,000 hits so im in a good mood. Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with me through it this far. Special thanks to my 2 favourite reviewers who have been there from the start, Transgenic-Girl and nickysbabygirl. Also a special mention to Jake who gave me my 100th review. Yay! **

**Chapter 12 – I'll Comfort You**

_Lot of havoc in the sea  
People rushing endlessly  
Sometimes I think it's just their way  
Of capturing a better day_

"You came." Nick whispered when he finally managed to pull himself together. They were now sitting in the waiting room, Nick on a plastic chair and Sara kneeling in front of him.

"Of course I came." She held his hand up to her lips and kissed it gently. "You said you needed me." She smiled at him.

"But I thought you hated me." He gulped back tears and they started into each other's eyes.

"I don't hate you. I am angry with you. Why didn't you tell me? You let me believe that you didn't love me anymore.

"I'm sorry. Maya's life was in danger." Nick started breaking down again at the mention of her name.

"Shh." Sara ran one had through his hair and gripped Nick's hand tighter with the other. "It's not your fault Nicky." Sara tried to hold him close.

"I should have tried to protect her more. I should have made more of an effort."

"Nicky look at me." Sarah moved his chin up so he was looking into her eyes. "You did everything you could. It's not your fault they had the gun there Nick. There was nothing more you could have done." Sarah wiped the tear away from his face. "Come on, let's get you back home and get you cleaned up."

"But Maya, there's things to organise."

"Don't worry about it Nick. We'll organise all of that later." Sara stood up and held out her hand to Nick. "Come on Nick." He slowly took her hand and she helped him up. The two of them walked towards the elevator together.

"There's paperwork to fill out…who's going to do that?"

"Don't worry we'll sort it out later." Sara put her arm around Nick and when they got to the elevator she pressed the button and then turned to Nick. "I'll meet you at the hotel." She mouthed to Ami as she walked past.

_Raising the hair on my skin  
We come face to face  
Try to let each other in_

"Here, drink this." Sara handed Nick a cup of steaming coffee.

"Thanks." Nick replied. They were in the kitchen of Nick's apartment; Nick was sitting on one of the chairs at the table and Sara stood behind him with a hand on his shoulder.

"That's alright."

"So…" Nick looked up at Sara after taking a sip of the coffee.

"I wont lie to you Nick. I am still really angry with you for making me feel the way you did. A lot has happened in the past few months and…well a lot has happened. We both have a lot of explaining to do to each other but that can wait. All that matters now is we're together again." She smiled and leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"I love you so much Sara. And I am so sorry for everything I have done to upset you. I never once stopped thinking about you after you left. I couldn't get that look on your face out of my head. I hurt you so much and you took off before I even had the chance to explain what had happened."

"I admit that was a mistake. But that's what I do Nick I run away from my problems. But I'm done running. I have something I need to tell you." She sat down beside him and took his hands in hers. "Nick I…"

"There's something I need to tell you too. I don't know what you've been told but I want you to hear it from me."

"It's okay Nick, Catherine told me what happened. I understand."

"No Sara I need you to hear it from _me_. _I_ want to tell you the whole story."

"You don't have to Nick I…"

"Yes I do have to. I never forgave myself for pushing you away. That was the worst mistake of my life. I'm sorry I just up and left without any explanation but Maya needed me. The only reason I agreed to marry Maya in the first place was because I've known her since I was a kid and she was the best friend I ever had. When she was taken away from me the first time I cried for weeks. I was sixteen years old and I lost my best friend. I made a promise to her before she left that no matter what happened I would bring her back. And the only way of doing that was marrying her." Nick looked into Sara's eyes and hoped that she was listening.

"Maya-or Marcia as she was known as back when we were kids-was my best friend. We had known each other since she was born. I was only 6 years old the first time I met her. Her mother had moved in next door to us when she was pregnant. My mother and her mother instantly became friends and it wasn't until I was sixteen that I found out why she had moved there in the first place. Marcia's mother fled Russia the minute she found out she was pregnant. She came over as an illegal immigrant."

"None of that matters Nick. It's all in the past."

"I have to tell you Sara. I need to know that you really understand the whole story."

"Okay." Sara kissed Nick's hand and smiled.

"I don't know what Catherine told you, but Maya…well Marcia and I have been friends since we were kids. When I was sixteen she was taken away from me and went to live in Russia with her father. I never did find out the whole story, all I know is that Marcia's father is the head of the Russian Mafia and he is a very dangerous man. Marcia came to me for help. I hadn't seen her in years and when she called me from the airport she sounded so desperate. She was begging me for help and I had to go and help her."

"I know now that's what you had to do. But you could have at least told me before you just ran off without a word. I was so worried about you Nick."

"I know. That was a mistake, but I don't know what could have happened to her if I didn't get there when I did." The tears started pouring down Nick's face again. "I thought maybe if I changed her appearance she could pretend to be someone else, but that wouldn't work unless she was a legal citizen of America. The only way I could do that was to marry her so she wouldn't be deported." Nick closed his eyes. "I wanted so badly to say no to her. To tell her I was already planning on getting married. But the look on her face…she was so scared. She needed my help and so I gave it to her. We changed her hair and gave her contacts and even changed her name to Maya. Everything was going so well until I came back home and you were there and you left and…"

"It's okay Nick."

"No it's not okay. I put you through all of that pain for nothing. When I came to see you…I shouldn't have left Maya alone…it was all worth nothing. I risked everything coming to see you and when you told me you hated me I…"

"I didn't mean it Nick. I love you so much. I'm sorry I lied to you but you hurt me so much."

"I know I did." Nick sighed. "And it was all for nothing. They tracked me down and found Maya…and that's when…it was all my fault. If I weren't so selfish she would still be alive."

"No Nick it's not your fault." Sara moved her chair closer and put her arm around him.

_I'll hold out my hands to you  
You do what you need to  
Oh, whoa  
I will comfort you  
__I will comfort you  
Ohh, whoa  
I will comfort you  
__I will comfort you_

"I'm so sorry Sara…I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I'm sorry too Nick. So very sorry." Sara took her arm away and sighed. "There's something I need to tell you. Something I have wanted to tell you for so long now."

Nick didn't say anything; he just looked up at Sara with tears in his eyes.

"You remember that day when you came back from the airport and I was about to tell you something. The day I found out about you and Maya was also the day I found out… something else very important." Sara turned away.

"What is it Sara? You can tell me."

"That was the day I found out…I found out I was pregnant." She gulped and closed her eyes, waiting for his reaction. "We have a daughter Nick, a beautiful baby girl." There was silence. She opened her eyes and looked at Nick. His face looked blank and he blinked and stared at her.

**I know I know another cliffhanger…but relax I'm posting the next chapter straight afterwards lol. No need to panic. I know I said that I was posting 3 chapters but I realized I only have 2 written out. So that will have to do. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the next one just as much!**


	13. Daddy's Little Girl

**Well here it is…the second post today… which also happens to be the second to last chapter. Yes that's right almost finished this very long and draining fic. It has taken up so much of my time and effort…but I am so glad everyone likes it…now…on with the story. **

**Chapter 13 – Daddy's Little Girl**

"Please say something Nick." Sara was close to tears. "I need to know what you're thinking." She looked at him pleadingly.

"I…I don't know what to say." He replied.

"Please Nick." Sara was begging for a response.

"I have a daughter?" He looked at Sara, confusion on his face. "But I don't understand…how?"

"The usual way Nick. We had sex before you left remember. On the same night you confessed your love for me. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember. It was the most perfect night of my life…why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

"I tried to Nick. But I chickened out when I saw Maya…or Marcia or whatever her name is. It broke my heart that day Nick. You disappeared without any warning after sleeping with me and you show up three weeks later with a fiancée."

"I…you didn't give me time to explain. You just left."

"What did you expect me to do hang around and congratulate you Nick?"

"No I just…"

"No, don't worry about it Nick. I don't want to argue with you anymore." Sara sighed.

"I love you so much Sara. I hope that you know that."

"I know Nick. And I know that I love you too. I shouldn't have run away like I did, I know that. And I apologise, but I was just hurt and…"

Nick cut her off mid sentence with a long and passionate kiss.

"You have no idea how much I have been wanting to do that since you left." He smiled at her.

"I love you so much." She kissed him again. When they parted they stared into each other's eyes deeply.

"What's her name?" Nick asked, breaking the moment.

"Ariel." Sara replied. "Ariel Joanna Sidle…"

"Oh. She has your last name."

"Yeah, well that's easily fixed." Sara smiled.

"How old I she?"

"Almost three weeks."

"Three weeks…really? What does she look like?"

"Here…I brought something for you, because I knew you would want to see it." Sara walked over to her bag and pulled out a small box. "It's her baby box. It hasn't got very many things in it, but there are pictures, and her hospital tag." Sara handed the box to Nick.

"Thanks." Nick took the box and opened it carefully. He pulled out a small photograph and looked at it.

"That was the first ultrasound." Sara told him.

"I wish I could have been there."

"I wish you were there too." Nick pulled out some more photographs.

"She's so tiny." He commented. "And she has your eyes."

"She has your nose." Sara smiled. "And your ears."

"Can I see her?" Nick asked.

"Of course you can. She is your daughter after all." Sara smiled. "I'll just call Ami and she'll bring Ariel over from the hotel."

"You brought her with you?"

"I had to, she's still breast feeding so I pretty much have to take her everywhere I go." Sara laughed.

"She's so gorgeous."

"I'll just go and call Ami." Sara smiled, grabbed her cell phone out of her bag and walked outside, leaving Nick to look at the items in Ariel's baby box.

"It took you long enough. I've been waiting for your call for hours." Ami answered the phone without even letting it ring more than once. "So how did it go? Have you told him? How did he react?" Ami bombarded Sara with questions before she even had the chance to speak.

"Well surprisingly he actually took it well."

"This is good." Ami smiled. "So when does he want to see her?"

"Now."

"That's great. Are you coming back here then?"

"Actually I was hoping you could bring Ariel here…to us."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? Shouldn't they meet in neutral territory?"

"He's her father Ami and after everything he's been through today im not sure he could handle the drive back to the hotel."

"Well Ariel's sleeping, did you want me to wake her?"

"Just bring her over, she should be fine. She takes after her father…she'll sleep through anything." Sara laughed.

"I haven't heard you laugh for months. Nick really does make you happy doesn't he?"

"I love him. We're meant to be together."

"Well if you say so. I'll bring Ariel over now. I'll be about ten minutes."

"That's fine. Take your time. Just make sure you keep her safe."

"I will, don't worry." Ami laughed. "I'll see you in about ten."

"Yeah, thanks again Ami. I appreciate it."

"Hey that's what friends are for. See you soon." She hung up the phone and turned to where Ariel was sleeping in her capsule.

"Well this is it Ariel. Time to meet your daddy." Ami walked over and picked up the diaper bag, then she picked up the capsule and headed out of the door.

"I just rang Ami. She's on her way over with Ariel now." Sara told Nick when she walked into the apartment again.

"Ami…is she that friend you were in college with?"

"Yes. She's been my best friend since high school." Sara explained. "That's why it's easy for me to understand why you had to do what you did. If I were in your situation I probably would have done the same thing. It just shows how much of a caring person you are Nick. You were willing to put your own life on hold to help out your best friend. I understand that now." Sara sat beside him and placed her hands in his. "If anything this makes me love you even more."

"So…you're not mad anymore?"

"No. And you're not angry that I kept Ariel from you?"

"I'm not angry, just disappointed I missed out on so much. I should have listened to you Sara, I should have listened but I didn't."

"It's alright now." Sara placed her head on his shoulder. "I'm just glad we're back together again."

"Me too. These past few months without you have been hell on me. I have missed you so much. If I'd have known you were pregnant I never would have gone through with any of that."

"It's alright. I didn't find out until the day you got back."

"I'm just so sorry you had to go through everything alone."

"I wasn't alone really. I mean I had people with me, but it just wasn't you."

"I'm so sorry Sara I…"

"Would you stop apologising? It's all right Nick. Let's just forget about that and move on."

Nick was about to say something when they heard the taxi pull up outside.

"Wow, she was quicker than I thought." Sara stood up. "Are you ready?" She held out her hand to Nick.

"I suppose I am." He smiled nervously and grabbed Sara's outstretched hand.

"Ami!" Sara opened the door, ready to be greeted by her best friend.

"Hey Sara." Ami smiled and pulled the capsule out of the taxi. She threw the bag over her shoulder and carried Ariel up the stairs to Sara.

"Here you go." She handed the capsule over to Sara with a smile.

"Nick this is your daughter Ariel." Sara beamed and watched as Nick bent over the capsule to get a good look at the baby.

"She's…she's perfect." Nick grinned and a tear ran down his cheek.

"Shall we go inside then?" Ami suggested with a smile.

Nick and Sara didn't say anything. They walked inside, Nick still in awe of the baby in front of him.

"She's so tiny and beautiful and…she's just gorgeous." Ami laughed as she watched Sara carefully place the capsule down and take Ariel out.

"Do you want to hold her?" She heard Sara ask before she turned to Adella.

"Are you sure?"

"She's your daughter. Of course you can hold her." Sara laughed. "Here."

Ami smiled as she watched Sara hand the baby to Nick. She also noticed the huge grin on Sara's face.

"Look she likes you."

Nick held out his spare hand and Ariel grabbed his finger.

"Hello there Ariel…I'm your Daddy." He grinned and Sara put her arm around him. As she leant in and kissed him on the cheek Ami managed to snap a picture with the camera that she brought.

"Perfect." She thought to herself and she watched as Nick, Sara and Ariel bonded.

_You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold,  
You're daddy's little girl to have and to hold.  
A precious gem is what you are,  
You're mom-my's bright and shi-ning star.  
You're the spirit of Christmas, my star on the tree,  
You're the Easter Bunny to mommy and me;  
You're sugar, you're spice, you're ev'-ry-thing nice,  
And you're daddy's little girl_

**Okay so it didn't quite turn out how I wanted it to. In fact it went in a completely different direction than it was meant to lol. I hope you still liked it. There is still one more chapter to go. The finale Hehehe…. should be fun to write. I'm planning on setting it in the future maybe…I don't know for sure though. I'll figure it out when I get to it. Hope you liked it :D Jess!!!**


	14. Home At Last

**Well this is it. The final chapter of Feelings Uncovered. But don't worry I have already started work on the sequel. I've written the first few pages and if ur lucky at the end of this I'll give u a preview/summary of the sequel. Until then…enjoy the final chapter. I'm not entirely sure what is going to happen in this chapter…I hope you like it anyway. Love ya!**

**Chapter 14 – Home at Last**

"Hey." Sara smiled when she saw Nick standing over Ariel's cot. "I woke up and you weren't there. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. I just couldn't sleep." Nick looked down at Ariel. "She looks so peaceful."

"You just wait until she wakes you up at one in the morning, screaming her head off." Sara laughed.

"Yeah…" Nick looked up at Sara. "Listen I've been thinking. How would you feel about moving back to Vegas?"

"I err…I don't know. I guess I haven't really thought much about it."

"Well an old friend of mine is selling his house and I thought it would be perfect for bringing Ariel up in…that's if you want to. I mean I know you have a life with your friends and work and…"

"I'd love to Nick."

"You would?"

"Yes. There's nothing in the world I want more than for us to be a family together. And if it means moving back here to Vegas then that's fine with me. I mean I'll miss everyone in San Francisco but not as much as I would miss this place. I forgot how great living in the city was. And being here with you and with Ariel…it's made me so happy. I would love to move in with you…but I have one condition."

"Okay…what is it?"

"We get married." Sara replied with a smile. "It doesn't have to be the whole big wedding thing with the dress and the flowers and…"

"Did you just propose to me?" Nick asked with a smirk.

"I think I did." Sara replied, smirking back at him.

"Well in that case I've got something to give you. Come with me." Nick grabbed Sara's hand and led her out of Ariel's room and into the living room. "Wait here."

"Okay…" Sara raised her eyebrows, unsure of what was going on. Nick walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with something in his hand.

"What's going on Nick?" Sara asked a slight smirk on her face.

"Well, I was planning on giving this to you a while ago, but then…things… happened."

"What is it?"

"Just wait…" Nick took a deep breath. "From the moment I saw your face I knew that there was something between us. Having you next to me for all those years and not being able to tell you how I felt…that was hell. And now here we are; you me and Ariel…a family. There's just one thing we're missing." He bent down on one knee and took Sara's hand in his. "Sara Sidle will you marry me?" He asked and he held out a small diamond ring with three rubies and two sapphires in it.

"Nick it's beautiful." Sara beamed. "I love it and yes of course I will marry you." Nick placed the ring on Sara's finger and then stood up and sealed the deal with a kiss.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She replied.

**Three days later…**

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Ami asked. She was standing at the airport with Sara, Ariel in her arms.

"I'm sure. I love Nick and he loves Ariel and me. We're a family. And I belong in Vegas with him."

"But I don't want you to leave." Greg, her ex-neighbour pouted.

"Aww Greggy Boy." Sara gave him a hug. "I don't want to leave you guys here…but Vegas is my home. It's where I belong."

"You'll come and visit us right?" Greg had tears forming in his eyes.

"Of course I will. And I'll bring Ariel with me too. You wont miss out on any part of her life I promise you."

"She's going to grow up without her Aunty Ami around." Ami was close to tears as she stroked little Ariel's forehead.

"Don't worry I'll come down as often as I can to visit. And I'll email you every day."

"Are you sure?" Ami asked.

"Of course I will."

"No you won't you'll be way too busy raising Ariel and spending time with Nick." Greg started crying. "You'll forget all about us."

"Stop your blubbering Greg. I could never forget about you guys." She pulled them both in for a hug. "I have to go or I'll miss my plane."

"Just promise me one thing before you go." Ami said as she handed Ariel back to Sara.

"Anything." Sara looked up at Ami.

"Make sure we get invited to your wedding." Ami laughed.

"Don't worry you will." Sara gave each of them one last hug before she boarded her plane back to Las Vegas.

**ONE YEAR LATER….**

"Morning Nicky." Sara smiled as he walked into the kitchen. Sara was sitting at the kitchen table with Ariel in the high chair. "Did you have a good shower?"

"It was great." He replied. "How are my three favourite girls this morning?" Nick asked. He walked over and gave Sara and Ariel a kiss each, then he bent down and kissed Sara's stomach.

"We don't know if it's going to be a girl Nick. It could be a little boy." She patted the bulge and laughed.

"You'd love that wouldn't you, another little Nick running around" Nick laughed.

"It wouldn't be that bad." Sara replied with a grin. "Although another little Sara wouldn't be bad either." She added with a laugh.

"Da Da Da!" Ariel cried and started waving her arms and legs eagerly when she saw Nick.

"That's right Ariel, that's your Daddy." Sara smiled.

"How is the little birthday girl then? I can't believe you're already one year old." He smiled and pulled her out of her high chair.

"So are you sure that you're fine to look after her tonight while I have my baby shower?"

"Of course. We can spend some quality time together before we head up to see my family." Nick replied. "Because I know they will all want to steal you away from me wont they." He spun her around and blew raspberries on her stomach. Ariel squealed with delight and Nick smiled at her.

"Careful Nick she's just eaten her breakfast. I'm pretty sure you don't want it to come back up onto you." Sara laughed. Nick stopped spinning her around and pulled her in close to his chest. He let her grab hold of his finger with her tiny hand and he couldn't help but laugh.

"She is looking more and more like you every day." Nick smiled.

"But she has your smile." Sara replied.

"So are we still heading up to my parents for Christmas this year?"

"Definitely. Your mum hasn't stopped talking about how beautiful Ariel is and how much she misses her."

"Well I think little Ariel misses having her grandma spoil her lots." Nick laughed.

"Do you think Grissom would mind giving us the whole week off? It's just we never really did get a honeymoon because of what happened with Ariel, and I would love to spend some extra time out on your parents farm. It's so beautiful out there."

"I'm sure he won't mind." Nick replied. "I'll have a chat to him tomorrow at work."

"Great. Okay come on Ariel, we've got to get you ready to go. You've got a play date with little Lou." Sara stood up and reached out to take her from Nick.

"Okay baby girl. Off you go to mummy." Nick handed her over and gave Sara a kiss.

"Well I guess I'll see you at work then?"

"Yeah. See ya." Sara leant over and gave Nick a kiss and then he gave Ariel a little kiss as well.

"Bye baby girl." Ariel giggled as Nick ticked her. "Have fun with Lou." He gave Sara one more kiss before leaving the house that they shared.

* * *

**Well that's it. I know it's a really crappy ending…but the ending is actually part of the sequel. Ooh I love the ideas I have for the sequel. I think it's 10 times better than this fic lol. I shall add a chapter on here explaining about the sequel and maybe giving a preview Hehehe…well I hope you liked the final chapter. Thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed my fic…you've all been great inspiration to me. **

**Mma63 - **Thanks, i'm glad you like the fic...i'm glad they are finally together too!

**SnickersManiac - **Dont worry now that they are finally together i'm going to make them stay together :D

**SzmandaFanGirl2389 - **Aww it's great that you were smiling...trust me i was so happy when i wrote it...so glad they finally got together and are all happy. I Agree...nick does make an awesome dad. You just wait till the sequel!!!

**NickysBabyGirl - **Thank you soooo much for being there with me through the whole fic. it's muchly appreciated. your reviews (as well as the many others) have kept me going. if you loved the interaction between nick and his daughter in this fic wait till the sequel...lots of fluff :D

**Paige Halliwell-Matthews - **Thanks for the ideas. but i've finally decided how i'm going to set the sequel out. the first few chapters will be Ariel as a toddler, then she'll become a teenager :D thanks for the wonderful ideas tho!

**And a big thanks to all thos other readers who havent reviewed...I'm just glad i've had so many hits, it makes me happy that people are reading my fics. thanks again to everyone who has stuck with me and read the whole story!!! muchly appreciated! well i'm off to write the sequel. Love ya!**


	15. Secrets Uncovered

**Title: Secrets Uncovered**

**Summary: Basically this fic is a sequel to Feeling Uncovered-as you probably know. Anyway this fic will show what happened in the year between when Sara moved to Vegas and when Ariel had her first birthday. It will also have parts from the future at the end of the fic where Ariel is older. But mainly it will focus on the first Christmas Sara spends with Nick's family. Anyways I hope you enjoy it. Here is a little preview of chapter one!**

**Chapter one – Welcome To Texas

* * *

**

"Are you sure you've got everything packed?" Sara looked at the bags that were sitting by the front door.

"Yes I'm sure." Nick replied. "What about you? Are you ready to go?"

"I've been ready for a while now. But I can't help but think we're forgetting something…" Sara looked around the room.

"Come on, the taxi is here. You get Ariel and I'll take the bags down to the car." Nick suggested.

"Alright." Sara made her way towards Ariel's bedroom and gently picked her up from where she was sleeping in her cot. "Come on sweetie it's time to go see Grandma and Grandpa. And all your Aunties and Uncles and cousins too." Sara whispered as she carried Ariel out towards the front door.

"Right, are we ready now?" Nick asked as Sara walked up to him.

"Yes. Let's get out of here. Traffic is going to be hell and we don't want to miss our flight."

"Okay." Nick waited for Sara to walk through the door, and then he followed her and closed the door and locked it behind him.

* * *

"Nick, Sara Oh it's so great to see you again." Juliette Stokes cried when she saw Nick and Sara climb out of the hire car.

"Mum!" Nick smiled and hugged her.

"Sara darling you look absolutely gorgeous." Juliette commented as she hugged her daughter in law.

"Thankyou Juliette. You look wonderful as well."

"And where's my newest little granddaughter?" Juliette asked walking up to the back door of the car. She opened the door and pulled Ariel out of the car seat.

"Look at you little miss. You've grown up a lot since I saw you last." Juliette smiled and pulled Ariel in for a big hug.

"I think she needs her nappy changed." Sara commented.

"Well I'll show you to your room then." Juliette smiled and handed Ariel to Sara and then she led the three of them inside.

"This is where you guys will be sleeping. You can set up Ariel's cot in the corner there. And I've put you right by the bathroom, just in case. I know how bad morning sickness can be."

* * *

**Well that's a little preview of the sequel, which will be coming soon. But I do have prior commitments so it may be a few days before I can post any of it! Love yaz…Lemme know what u think of the preview! Ta!**


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